CHAPTER 31
Rudgar
S he’s going to face the asshole.
I saw it as clear as day in my mate’s face, and damn it , how could I say no after everything he’d done to hurt her?
“Not before you’re ready,” I told her instead, narrowing my gaze at her, and she gave me a small smile, reaching up to cup my cheek, running her thumb over the side of my mouth.
“Thank you,” she said in a whisper I could barely hear. “I know that’s going to be hard for you to do. But trust me,” she added, her lip curling as her eyes became distant, and I knew she was picturing the asshole who’d taken her. Veron . “I’ll be ready.”
“It’s moments like this that I want to put you in a padded room until the battle’s over,” I murmured with a sigh, and her expression switched to a grin.
“We can go find a padded room, but I’ll be using it for things other than hiding,” she told me with a bold grin.
“You’re trying to distract me,” I huffed, gathering our things and tucking her neatly into my shirt, buttoning it all the way up to her chin before wrapping her in my arms. “I don’t know what I’d do if you were ever hurt, Gul-ar,” I admitted.
“The same thing I’d do if anything happened to you,” she murmured, her lips moving against the bare skin of my chest. “I can’t stand it either. But we’ll be fine. I have this, Rud, I promise. I can take him. The premonition scared me. It was like I was back there, trapped and helpless.” She shook her head, looking up at me with a fury inside of her that was a reflection of my own. “I’m ready. I know it. Being here with you… with my coven. I know I can.”
“I know you can take him,” I said, pulling away so she could see the sincerity in my gaze. “But I don’t trust him to play fair.”
Her smile was tiny as she stroked her fingers through my hair, giving me a tiny, almost imperceptible nod. “Neither do I.”
The hesitant knock on the door was what woke me. I peeked over at Zara, who was sprawled magnificently over my chest, a line of drool puddled on my skin and a snore leaving her with each breath while her hair was a complete mess. Adoration filled me at the sight.
I nuzzled my face against her unruly hair before tilting. She moaned, clutching me closer and refusing to wake up. I smiled, stroking a hand down her cheek as I lay her on the bed.
She snuggled into the blankets, but opened her eyes and peered up at me.
“Where’re you going?” she asked in a voice husky with sleep.
My cock decided to take this moment to beg me to stay in bed.
“Someone’s at the door,” I murmured to her, lowering myself until I was at her level and then kissing the hand she held out to me. “I’ll be right back.”
It didn’t take more than that for her to pull the blankets over her head as she went back to sleep. I snorted out a laugh, standing and heading toward the door, tugging on a pair of sweatpants on my way.
Opening the door, I saw Savla standing there, his hand raising as if contemplating another knock. The relief in his gaze made me smile. He thumped his hand over his heart.
“How can I help, brother?” I asked, repeating the gesture.
“I finished Zara’s wand,” he told me, holding his hand out to me, and my eyes widened as I stared down at the carved and polished masterpiece. It was a delicate wand with intricate spirals in the light wood.
“She’s going to love it,” I told him, already knowing it would be true and I saw his eyes duck, lowering to the floor.
“It’s the least I can do for her,” he told me, shrugging as if it was no big deal.
“Wait here,” I said, turning to go to my mate, pulling a dress from our bedroom closet to take to her. “Sleepyhead, wake up,” I crooned, pulling the blankets off of her.
She harrumphed, sitting up and looking at me with a glare, but I wasn’t deterred.
“Savla’s here,” I explained. “And he has something for you.”
Her lips parted and a squeal left her as she shuffled happily, jumping off the bed at once. I had to snatch her to stop her from running outside naked. She wiggled with joy in my arms as I dressed her and dropped a kiss on her head.
She ran after that, rushing to where I knew Savla was waiting for her. I followed at a much more sedate pace, grinning as she threw her arms around him. He stared at me, as if asking if it was okay to hug her back, and I nodded.
This male was a brother to my Zara. Someone she treasured and considered a member of her family—our clan. I was never going to stop her from showing her affection to her family.
“I could kiss you, Savla,” she laughed, and my brow furrowed.
Well not quite that far.
I snatched her back into my arms as she admired the wand, shaking her head in awe.
“This is beautiful,” she breathed. “I love it so much. You’re a fantastic artist.”
His bashful expression as he cleared his throat told me he was going to try to run away.
“I’ll send the payment to your account, Savla, thank you,” I told him and his brow furrowed as he shook his head.
“I made it for Zara as a gift. I didn’t—” he started, but I shook my head.
“A masterpiece like that deserves payment,” I told him and he scratched the back of his neck. “Thank you.”
Swallowing hard, he nodded before running off. My mate turned to me, her lips curved in a sweet smile.
“That’s so nice, thank you. He really is the best artist I know. I’ll pay you back when—” she started, but I quirked an eyebrow and gave her my best stern expression, cutting her off.
“What’s mine is yours, Gul-ar. It’s a payment from you,” I told her.
“Well if that’s true,” she purred, and my cock perked up at her tone. “Then I want that last cookie from Penelope’s mother that you’ve been hoarding.”
I sucked in a horrified breath. “Gul-ar, I love you, but not that much.”
Her tinkle of laughter was music to my ears.
It was a special kind of weird to watch Zara and her coven set up their makeshift “altar” to perform their spell on the wand. The odd runes that were etched and the crystals that were spread out across the coffee table while they all sat with folded legs around it made me think that they were about to meditate. But the thrum of power in the air told me that something more was happening.
“You can stay,” Zara said, tipping her head back so she was looking up at me from where I was standing behind her. “You can even join the circle if you want to.”
I took a seat behind her before shuffling myself forward, lifting her into my lap as she gave a little squeak of surprise. The chuckle that followed as she nuzzled back against me told me she didn’t want me to move.
“That’s one way to join the circle,” Tabitha said, snorting out a laugh from next to us. She held hands with Zara, raising her eyebrows toward me. “We’re about to unbind her powers, so you might get hit with some unwanted shockwaves.”
I nodded, knowing that if it meant I could hold Zara, whatever it was, it would be worth it.
Tabitha turned toward the altar. She began a soft chant that was soon joined by everyone else in the circle. Different pitches and tones could be heard from each witch but it soon became a symphony of voices and when my Zara’s voice started, a gentle thrill ran through my body.
I could feel the magick in the sound. A purple, gentle glow started under her skin and I frowned down at her as she closed her eyes and tilted her head back on my shoulder, baring her throat for me. My mouth watered, but I stopped myself from biting down into her delicate flesh to mark her. Instead, I just watched as her expression became a frown and the glow became brighter and brighter as the voices got louder and louder.
It wasn’t long before Zara was twisting in my arms, but keeping her hands tight in the other females’. Her chanting was becoming higher-pitched and I saw Tabitha watching her closely. I looked between them, terrified for my female, but knowing better than to intervene.
As the chant reached a loud crescendo, Zara released a cry as the purple glow became so bright I had to close my eyes, a thrum of power leaving her that was so great, I struggled to hold her to me as her body shook in my arms.
Fuck!
I didn’t know what to do, so I just held her tight, praying that she would be alright. As the light dimmed, the chants becoming quieter now, I watched Zara with confusion, stroking my hand over her forehead. She was warm, but didn’t have a fever.
She panted, aftershocks shaking her body as I kept her close, trying to figure out what to do.
The chants came to an end, and Tabitha released the hands she was holding, turning to face Zara, cupping her cheeks in her hands. Her brow was furrowed and I was grateful as the others gathered close, fussing over my mate.
She was right. This was her family—her clan—and they loved her. I watched as all the females gasped, yanking themselves away from Zara and landing on their butts. Their eyes were huge and then they held up their hands, marvelling as each of their palms glowed with that same purple magick that Zara had exuded not long ago.
“What’s happening?” I asked them, keeping my female cradled against me.
“Our High Priestess,” Tasia murmured, shaking her head from side to side as she looked from her hands to Zara. “She’s our conduit. When we unbound her powers…” she trailed off, disbelief filling her expression as she opened a palm, a graceful purple butterfly flittering from it, landing on Zara’s cheek. “She shared them with us.”
Tabitha’s lips parted and closed a few times, as if she was unable to speak. It was long moments before she found her voice. “Not even her mother could do this,” she murmured. “This is incredible.”
“Will that weaken her?” I asked, looking from Zara to them. “Sharing her power?”
Tabitha shook her head, sending me an understanding smile. “No, her power is so full it’s overflowing her. The coven becomes the conduit for more. She can tap into us when she needs it.”
Frustration was filling me as my mate continued to be unconscious in my arms. As if sensing this, Floria reached out, giving me a small smile.
“She’s fine. She’s just getting used to being an empowered vessel,” she told me, rubbing a soothing hand down my shoulder, the purple glow still bright. And with her hand, it felt like she took some of my worry.
My brow furrowed as I watched her, but my mate was stirring in my arms and I needed to give her my full attention. “Gul-ar,” I whispered, running my palm over her unruly curls. “Are you okay?”
Her tiny hands came up to press against my bearded cheek and a soft murmur left her lips. “Oh thank the Goddess Mother, you’re still hot. I didn’t know if you being in the circle would make you ugly or…” she trailed off, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
I grunted, leaning down to run my tusk over her neck and jaw. “You scared the hell out of me, and now you’re joking ? Gul-ar, I’ll have your ass for this,” I told her in a low murmur so the others couldn’t hear us.
“I thought it was already yours,” she whispered, her eyes blinking with droopy movements until she looked at me. There was something different in her eyes. Something strong. Something powerful. And from behind her gaze, a magnificent fury was lurking.
I grinned down at her. “Ready to kick some ass?” I asked her, and she nodded, baring her teeth in an adorable growl.